Chapter 267: Singing to the Same Tune
The World looked around and said, "I want to get information about all
the abject nobles in the Loen Kingdom, including their current
addresses. The more details, the better."
He didn't directly mention Baronet Pound since Detective Sherlock
Moriarty was currently handling an investigation regarding an
underground structure that involved the Pound family.
Klein didn't want Justice to "figure out" The World's identity through
this connection.
I can't ignore any details! He emphasized to himself.
Audrey stared blankly upon hearing that. She once again examined the
member at the end of the long bronze table and probed, "What do you want
to do?"
The World laughed with a hoarse voice. "That's not something you need to
worry about. I'm only searching for some things. I won't do them any
harm. I can swear on this point and allow Mr. Fool to bear witness."
*Mr. World is really good at controlling his body language... Is his
Sequence the nemesis of a Spectator or Telepathist?* Audrey
thoughtfully nodded and said, "I know some information about abject
aristocrats, but it's not sufficiently detailed, concrete, or
comprehensive. I need some time to gather all of it. It'll take three or
four days, is that okay?"
As a noble, it was compulsory to have some knowledge about people in the
same class. Audrey would always hear interesting stories when she
attended various balls, banquets, and saloons, but they would all be
fragmented and could hardly be considered a comprehensive body of
knowledge. After all, she wasn't an expert in this field, and she still
needed to fill in the details by flipping through books, asking around,
and checking references to not miss any abject nobles.
"No problem." The World laughed deeply. "Then, what payment would you
like in return? The things I can pay you with right now are some secret
history from the Fourth Epoch, knowledge of some Beyonder pathways, and
a few formulas. But frankly, I don't think that information concerning
abject nobles is worth Sequence 7 or 8 potions. Heh, if you have any
other requests, I can attempt to complete them."
*It's not of equal value to Sequence 8 or 7 potion formulas, which means
I'm unable to make a corresponding request for the Psychiatrist
formula...* Audrey began to ponder seriously.
During this process, she sneaked a glance at Mr. Fool, hoping for a
hint, only to discover that Mr. Fool was shrouded in the gray fog and
had no reaction whatsoever. He was like a god staring at the land
beneath him.
Alright... Audrey finally made a decision and smiled.
"I want to hear about knowledge regarding other Beyonder pathways, but
this is on the premise that I'm not aware of them."
"Dear Mr. Fool, can you be the judge for this?"
"Yes," Klein answered calmly.
"Then, let's have a private conversation." Audrey looked at The World.
At that moment, Klein rapped the table, isolating The Sun and The Hanged
Man from hearing or seeing the exchange.
He deliberately nodded to his smurf, indicating that they could begin
their private conversation.
The World looked at Miss Justice and spoke with his usual hoarse voice,
"Do you know anything about the Demoness Sect?"
Audrey recalled the information she paid The Hanged Man Alger 1000
pounds for and answered briefly with caution, "I know what they believe
in and what era they began from, as well as the Beyonder pathways they
control and the inclination of their upper echelons."
The World laughed hoarsely and said, "I understand. You don't know much.
"The Demoness Sect controls the Assassin pathway. The Sequence 8 is
Instigator."
"That's what I know," Audrey said, partially to inform The World, and
partially to show her anticipation.
The World raised his hand and stroked his chin before saying, "Then, do
you know the corresponding Sequence 7?"
Audrey shook her head slightly. "I'll be very happy to hear it from
you."
"The Assassin pathway's Sequence 7 is called Witch," The World said
simply.
"Witch?" Audrey jumped in fright at this word. She naturally made the
corresponding connections in her mind. "Then, i-if a man consumes this
potion, how is he supposed to act?"
*Wearing beautiful dresses and putting on exquisite makeup, imitating a
lady's every move?* She was a little disgusted, yet strangely
amused as the thought came to her.
"No, Miss Justice. When a man consumes this potion, he will no longer be
considered a male. He will become a true lady." Klein resisted the urge
to chortle as he controlled The World's response.
"Goddess, the Witch potion can change a person's sex?" Audrey blurted
out.
*This... this is really unbelievable! Mr. Fool didn't deny it, which
means it's true! This is simply a miracle! This is the mysterious
Beyonder world. This is a world filled with all sorts of inexplicable
things! This is the world I long for! W-why am I feeling a little
excited...* After calming down a little, Audrey quickly and
guiltily glanced at Mr. Fool and made a tiny confession that she had
actually chanted the name of the Evernight Goddess in front of Him.
The World said in a low, hoarse voice, "Yes, but it can only make men
become women. Women will accordingly have their charms enhanced. Whether
it's their appearance or skin condition, they will become significantly
improved, on the basis of their original looks. This is the reason why
the upper echelons of the Demoness Sect are all women."
"Then, what flaws does it have?" Audrey suddenly felt her interest was
aroused.
The World answered in an unhurried manner, "The requirement for their
'acting' is to become evil doers who bring about calamity, disease, and
pain."
Audrey exhaled slightly and felt a little disappointed.
Her mind whirled quickly, and she immediately had a new question.
"If, and I'm saying if---an animal consumes the Witch formula without
dying or losing control, would the enhancement of its charms be more
suited to human tastes, or focused on charms for its own species? For
example, a female cat which makes all male cats and all cat lovers
become fanatical towards it?"
The World was momentarily unsure how to respond. After a few seconds, he
said, "I've never studied such matters."
Before Audrey could ask further, he added, "The corresponding Sequence 6
for the Witch pathway is Pleasure, or the Demoness of Pleasure. The
requirement for 'acting' is to bring pleasure to both men and women,
mainly in that aspect, as well as controlling or influencing them. The
demonesses of this Sequence are very good at using special spider silk."
Audrey gaped her beautiful mouth, then she silently closed it again,
deeply regretting her pinings from before.
"By knowing such information, it will allow you to effectively identify
Demonesses. Heh heh, are you pleased with this payment?" The World
asked.
Audrey nodded gently and said, "It helps me a lot. Um... the deal is
completed. I will help you gather information on the abject nobles as
soon as possible. Shall I give it to you the next time we meet?"
The World thought for a moment and asked, "Can it be faster?"
"Then, I'll offer the information I gathered to Mr. Fool and request
that 'He' bestow them to you. Mr. Fool, is that okay?" Audrey turned her
head and asked.
In the thick gray fog, Klein nodded his head in agreement.
At the same time, he busily controlled The World to whisper, "'He?'"
He detected the different way she said the word.
Noticing The World's astonishment, the corners of Audrey' s mouth curled
up slightly, her eyes rolling upwards as she intentionally didn't make
any explanation.
Klein rapped the long bronze table, indicating the end of the private
exchange.
Then, he once again manipulated The World to say, "I have one more
problem."
This newcomer has indeed accumulated a lot of requests...
Audrey looked over, unsurprised.
Alger and Derrick both indicated they were listening through their body
language.
The World said hoarsely, "I want to know if there are any more
High-Sequence Beyonders in the Sauron family in Intis."
While The World spoke, Klein looked at The Sun through the corners of
his eye and saw that the youth didn't have any additional reaction.
*From the looks of it, the City of Silver doesn't have records of the
Sauron family... This family most likely made an uprising after the
Cataclysm...* Klein looked around thoughtfully and discovered
Justice and The Hanged Man looking at each other, obviously unaware of
the answer. The Sun was undoubtedly at a loss and silent.
Thus, he lightly tapped the table again and said, "Let me answer this
question. What can you pay for it?"
Before he could finish his sentence, Klein hurriedly controlled The
World to say, "A formula, a Sequence 7 formula."
"Okay. Deal." Klein created an environment for a private exchange as he
silently stared at his smurf for a few seconds.
Audrey and Alger, who were blocked, once again felt how unfathomable Mr.
Fool was. They were both curious about the answer, but they also felt
that it was of no use to them. It wasn't worth it to spend a Sequence 7
potion formula in exchange for that.
After the private exchange, Klein deliberately made The World bow and
say in a hoarse voice, "Honorable Mr. Fool, thank you for your answer;
it was very helpful to me."
"This is an equivalent exchange; there's no need to thank me." Klein
endured the goosebumps that suddenly surfaced on his skin as he answered
indifferently.
The open communication that followed lasted less than ten minutes. Then,
he announced the end of Tarot Gathering before severing the connections
with the crimson stars.
After the figures of Justice, The Hanged Man, and The Sun dissipated
into streams of light, Klein looked at The World and chuckled.
With a smurf, a lot of things are really much more convenient.
*Unfortunately, the All-Black Eye cannot be used outside the gray fog.
What a pity.*
As he thought that, he controlled The World to stand up and bow, then he
let it melt into the majestic palace.
As he had to divert some of his attention in order to control his smurf,
Klein had expended a great deal of his spirituality. He didn't continue
staying in that space, and after retrieving the All-Black Eye and
placing it behind the bronze table, he immediately returned to the real
world.
At that moment, there was a rare case of Backlund sunshine, seen in
autumn or winter, behind the tightly shut curtains.
Klein didn't have the time to take in this view. He slept for half an
hour to recover some of his energy.
After waking up, due to having gained Miss Justice's promise and the
fact that it wasn't urgent, he had no plans on searching for information
at the library, and instead, decided to head to one of the many cemetery
sites on the outskirts of Backlund before nightfall.
Klein was going to test the influence of Azik's copper whistle to
understand its scope and limitations!
Of course, the experiment would only be carried out after dark. The
reason why he was heading out now was that it would be very strange and
very eye-catching to hire a carriage to visit a cemetery in the evening.